Legacy
by Overbore
Summary: When the world's greatest martial artist dies, what might he leave behind? complete
1. Chapter 1

Legacy, a fanfiction by Overbore

Legal stuff: I do not own Ranma ½, nor do I own any rights to the characters, places or plotlines therein. Please be kind and do not sue, I am a poor college student and have no money anyway.

Authors stuff: This idea came to me out of the blue one day. This is my first attempt at fanfiction so please be kind. Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome, flames will be used to keep warm on cold winters nights.

Ranma hadn't slept in more than a week. Only pure willpower kept him going in this, his latest and greatest challenge ever. He had been struggling frantically for more than a month now to defeat the most powerful enemy of all: death. He had to, because Kasumi Tendo was dying.

It began some seven months after the battle with Saffron and the subsequent failed wedding. The relationship between Ranma and the Tendos had only become more strained in the interval. Akane blamed Ranma for the wedding fiasco, totally forgetting that she had never wanted to marry him in the first place in favor of heaping more abuse upon her savior's head. Her trademarked "mallet of doom" was starting to show a dent in its face that corresponded with Ranma's. Nabiki, on the other hand was her usual ice-queen self, a fact the emphasized the strain Ranma had dealing with her after finding out the she had sold out the wedding to all his rival and fiances. The parents were as stubborn as ever, with their unceasing demands for Ranma to unite the schools and start providing grand babies. In fact the were worse than ever, constantly blaming every fluctuation of Akane's increasingly unstable temper on him, and demanding he apologize for upsetting is fiancé. Only Kasumi, the angel of Nerima, was still kind to the pigtailed martial artist. The rest of the fiancé brigade and the rivals seemed to have redoubled their efforts after the wedding, like sharks sensing blood in the water. Then the bombshell dropped into Ranma's already chaotic life: Kasumi had cancer.

It had started innocently enough. Mild abdominal pains now and then, but nothing to be worried about. Then the periods of dizziness and weakness followed by stronger pains and eventually collapsing fits.

Her father, at first. Had been totally against seeking medical help. "Those doctors know nothing and bill for everything," he exclaimed. "And with Doctor Tofu overseas there is no one left I trust to take care of my Kasumi."

"Quite right, Tendo," Genma seconded. "Besides only the weak need the help of those quacks, and your daughters are anything but weak." Hearing this Ranma rolled his eyes but said nothing, too busy watching for the inevitable return to the old "unite the schools" nonsense to bother arguing with the stupid panda.

Then one day Kasumi had clutched her abdomen and cried out in pain before swooning while serving supper. After this collapse, Soun and finally gotten off his butt and take Kasumi to the hospital, a place he had avoided since the death of his wife. There the anxious Tendos and Saotomes waited restlessly for the results the of physicians examinations. Any hope they had was shattered when the doctor return and informed them that Kasumi was suffering from the same for of cancer that and claimed her mother; just as implacable and incurable now as it was back then.

Soun immediately began to live up to his nickname of the human flood. Akane and Nabiki were shocked. Genma was stupefied. No one could imagine life without the eldest female Tendo there, with her incredible cooking, calming smile and sweet disposition. Only Ranma, a veteran of many life-or-death crises kept his head.

"Are you sure there's nothing ya can do?" he demanded.

The Doctor sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the there is nothing that can be done at this point. Medical science has been advancing for years, but some thing are still beyond us. Maybe in a few years, but for now we can do little but make her comfortable."

"I don't understand," Ranma exclaimed. "You guys can beat cancer, right? I mean, Daisuke's uncle and cancer, and he told me that he's fine now. He had an op...op...operation and came out just fine. So why can't ya do that with Kasumi?"

The Doctor sighed. "Miss Tendo has rare and difficult form of cancer. It is not centralized like most forms. Instead it is expanding from organ to organ, jumping across her abdominal cavity and moving upward toward her heart and lungs. There is simply too much infected tissue to remove without losing her in the process. I'm sorry, but there really is nothing we can do." Another sigh. " I begin making arraignments to have her transferred to a cancer ward and Tokyo General Hospital."

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" Soun's demon head roared. "I WILL NOT LET MY DAUGHTER WITHER AWAY LIKE MY WIFE SO YOU CAN POKE AND PROBE HER! WE ARE TAKING HER HOME, WHERE QUACKS LIKE YOU CAN'T GET TO HER!" And before anyone could stop him, he rushed into the examination room, grabbed his eldest daughter and lest the hospital.

Things became strained at the Tendo household after that. Kasumi was nearly bedridden, leaving the rest of the family to take up her duties. Soun adamantly refused to even consider taking her back to the Hospital, leaving her care up to Akane, Ranma, and Nabiki. Akane refused to let Ranma help, claiming that it was an excuse to do perverted thing to her sister. Nabiki was selected to take care of cleaning the house and promptly blackmailed several neighbors and students into fulfilling her duties for her. Akane volunteered to cook the meals, but to everyone relief Ranma claimed that he could do it instead. This of course led to the usual argument:

"Ranma, are you insulting my cooking AGAIN!" she screeched.

"Geeze, I was just trying ta help," he responded, rubbing his ear "Besides, we all know that your cooking is the last thing a sick person needs. Your slop will have her in a coffin before the day is out." behind him the rest for the group was trying hard not to look like they agreed with him, lest they share the same fate.

With a might cry of "RANMA NO BAKA!" the mallet of doom knocked him through three walls and out into the koi pond, where a busty redhead emerged momentarily.

"Un-cute gorilla of a tomboy!" the pigtailed girl yelled.

"Now Akane," Nabiki drawled, "Ranma should be the one to cook. After all, your going to be busy looking after Kasumi. Unless you want Ranma to do it instead."

"No way!" Akane cried. "I'm not letting that pervert anywhere near my sister while she's helpless. Who knows what perverted things he would do to her."

"Then Ranma will do the cooking, and you'll take care of Kasumi," Nabiki inwardly smirked at her victory.

Things continued to deteriorate at the Tendos. Within a few days it became clear that Kasumi was fading. Ranma went up to see angelic Tendo on the third day when Akane went out for a little while. She looked of pale, lying there on her futon. He cheeks a sunk and she moaned softly.

"Heya, Kas-chan," he spoke timidly from the doorway, not wanting to disturb the weakened you woman. "How ya doing?"

"Oh, Ranma," she said looking over at the cursed martial artist. "I have felt better. I do wish that I could get up. This room need airing out and I'm sure the laundry needs to be done. Urg!" she gave an exclamation of pain as another spark of agony briefly flared in her stomach. Ranma was by her side in a flash, and watched as she twitched with another pulse of pain. On impulse he reached for a pressure point to relieve her pain. "Thank you Ranma," she smiled wanly. "That feels much better."

"You just rest," he stated firmly. "The chores can wait for a little while. Besides its 'bout time that others started doing their fair share. You really need to learn to relax." He gave her one of his heart stopping grins, a little shaky this time, but still full of confidence and warmth. He turned to the door, "any way, gotta go. Don't want the tomboy coming back and findin' me here. She'd probably blow a gasket."

"Ranma-kun," Kasumi said softly from the bed, "I'm afraid, Ranma-kun. I'm not afraid of dying, but I am afraid for my family. After Mom died, I worked so hard to be the pillar of the family, to support them when she could not." She was crying softly now. "Who will support them when I'm gone?" she whispered. "Daddy fell apart last time and Nabiki became so cold and Akane got so angry. I'm afraid of what will happen to them when I'm gone."

"That's not gonna happen, Kasumi." She looked up to see Ranma staring at her, his eyes filled with resolve, his voice serious. "I promise, I'm gonna find a way to beat this. I'm not letting you go. If I can beat a stuck up dragon prince and a stupid phoenix god, I can beat some stupid cancer. After all," his confident smirk returned full force, "Ranma Saotome don't loose."

"Oh my, Ranma..." she breathed, filled with a kind of awe and wonder. She knew, Ranma never broke a promise, never went back on his word. And he never lost when it counted. "Thank you, Ranma." she whispered. "Thank you."

Over the next week, Ranma studied furiously, consuming everything her could find that might help Kasumi: a scroll on ki manipulation begged off the old ghoul, the medical books left with Kasumi by Doctor Tofu, a pressure point map won from the old pervert, anything and everything he could get his hand on. Finally he was ready to announce his intentions to the rest to the family. He waited until dinner was underway before dropping the bombshell, figuring to get the drama over with as soon a possible.

"I think I can cure Kasumi." he stated as the meal began to finish up. The reactions more than lived up to his expectations.

"WHAT?" screamed everyone else in to room. Soun's tears, which had been constant since the hospital, even ceased at the announcement.

"RANMA NO BAKA! What kind of sick joke do you think you are trying to pull?"

"What the hell, Saotome! Are you serious? I know you think your invincible but to you honestly believe..."

"Boy! Are you telling the truth?"

"My manly son! I knew that you would let your family down."

"My daughter, My sweet Kasumi!"

"QUIET!" He yelled. The room slowly stilled. "Look, I think I can do it. I've been studying like mad and I think I have found a way to bolster he with my ki."

"Yeah, right," Akane snorted sarcastically. "The pervert just want to feel up my sister while she's weak." While all the Tendos had been dealing with their upcoming loss in their own ways, Akane had jumped straight to the denial stage and stayed there. "I swear if that lousy pervert lays even one finger on my sister I'll.." she was cut off as her father, always emotionally distraught and now even more so, fell back on the old patterns of taking his daughter's side against her fiancé and went into full demon head mode.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY DAUGHTER!" He screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Ranma's battle aura was now fully engaged, swirling around him like flames, it's normal blue color now red tinged with wrath. The sheer spectacle caused the demon head to wilt. "I would never try to take advantage of Kasumi!" he shouted. "I promised her that I would make her well. And I keep my promises!" his battle aura had doubled in size, ethereal flames licking the ceiling.

"A word, Tendo, if I may." Genma interjected, trying to defuse the situation before someone felt the need to take their anger out on a certain panda. He took is friend by the shoulder and led him to the dojo. "Listen, my old friend, we lose nothing by letting the boy try." he spoke with the kind of dignity that anyone who knew him knew he didn't have, but in Soun's case it further calmed the human flood. "In fact we even stand to gain either way." Soun look mystified. "If the boy can succeed," Genma continued, "then not only will he have saved your eldest, but certainly Akane will feel deep gratitude for Ranma. Then they will most certainly be wed and the schools will be joined!"

"Yes, my old friend, I can see it now." Genma's enthusiasm (and idiocy) had infected his friend and Soun had begun to perk up. "But I fail to see what good will come if Ranma fails."

"If the boy does fail, then he will of course be devastated and so will Akane. Who better to comfort each other with their loss. And after their grief runs it course, they will be wed and join the schools once and for all!" Genma explained. "Think about it Tendo: even if you do lose a daughter, you will gain a son. And lets not forget that the boy could very well save Kasumi, but in either case..."

"The Schools will be joined!" Soun finished for him. The depression of earlier was now only a tiny shadow of it's former self. "You are a true friend, Saotome," he said, "in my hour of need you are there to lift my spirits again. It shall be done. Ranma will cure my Kasumi and then the schools will be united at last."

While this was going on in the dojo, back in the dinning room Nabiki, Nodoka, and Akane were all still staring at the martial artist. He had calmed himself, and the battle aura was gone, but a truly angry Ranma was a rare sight. Sure he got pissed of, annoyed and peeved a lot, but rage like they had seen smouldering in his eyes was almost unheard of. Akane was muttering under her breath and Nodoka was going off on how manly her son was, so it was left to Nabiki to ask the big question.

"Do you really think you can pull this off, Saotome?" she asked

"Think so," he replied. "Got a few good ideas but won't know until I actually start. But it doesn't matter. Ranma Saotome don't lose. Not when it counts, and right now, it counts more than anything."

Nabiki smirked. His confident tone had told her all that she needed to know. He actually believed he could do it. Her crafty mind was already finding ways to may money off this situation; the ultimate betting pool: Ranma versus cancer! Even better, if he actually succeeded, then he, Ranma, the guy who would know a bankable commodity if it kicked him in the face, would have found a cure for cancer, just thinking of the money she could make as his manager, selling his cure to the wealth sick almost caused her to drool. And if he failed, she could hold it over his head for the rest of his life. Yes, this situation had all the earmarks of being incredibly profitable.

The fathers returned and gave their official blessing to Ranma's attempt, as much as it was worth. And Ranma told them he intended to start that very night. He gathed a tray of food and went up to Kasumi's room where he found the eldest Tendo daughter sitting up reading, and attempting to ignore the pain in her chest.

"Hey Kas-chan, I brought ya some dinner," he said as he entered the room. "Wha'cha reading?"

"Thank you Ranma. I was just reading an old novel. I remember starting it before mother passed away and then I just never got around to finishing it. Its been so long that I forgot nearly everything and had to start over from the beginning. I really want to finish it before I pass on."

Ranma frown and the note of resignation in her voice. "What are you talking about? I promised I would fix you and I'm going to do it."

"No, Ranma, it alright. I've made my peace. The other day I just had a bit of a panic attack, that's all. You don't need to worry about me. I'm sure there are other things you would rather be doing."

"No, Kasumi, there is nothing I would rather be doing, and in fact we are going to start right now. Now lay down all the way and pull you shirt up off you stomach or I'll pressure point you and do it for you." Ranma's mind was in full battle mode now, all fears, doubts and hesitations swept away by single-minded determination. For at least this moment, Ranma lost his usual shyness to girls, lost all his stuttering awkwardness when it came to the opposite sex. The Ranma Combat Supercomputer was online and focused like never before.

"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed and did as told, amazed by this assertive, authoritative Ranma that she had never seen before. She lay down and turned to look at Ranma, whose eyes were trained of her abdomen.

Ranma stared hard at the unoffending flesh, trying to see through it, trying to pierce the secrets of her disease. He slowly placed one palm on her flat stomach and closed his eyes. He began circulating his ki into her, tracking it as it flowed through her system, mapping her ki flows. His mind began assigning colors to the life energy: his own ki was blue, Kasumi's was yellow, and there twisted and knotted in her abdomen, large patches of sickly brown. He was so shocked he lost concentration and the mind image shattered. Damn the stuff was complex! Twisting and turning back on itself, pulling healthy flows out of alignment, riding the paths to new, still healthy areas. This thing was a monster, plain and simple. Oh well. No one ever said this would be easy. He returned his concentration and once again scanned her ki, and opened his eyes, straining to maintain the "ki vision" that allowed him to monitor the deepest levels of her life energy. He reached into hidden weapons space and pulled out an old, yellowed parchment. Inscribed upon it was a map of over 300 pressure points, hard won during a vicious bout with Happosai. Reaching again into the ki pocket, he fished out the scroll on ki path manipulation. It had cost him the promise of an entire month of waitressing at the Cat Café to score this off the old ghoul, but a least he managed to convince her he wanted it in order to develop a new technique. Technically it was the truth, he was developing a new technique, but the last thing he wanted was amazon interference into what promised to be a very complex and delicate task.

He returned his attention tot he job at hand. Now if he had figured this out right, if he pressed this point here, and infused his ki into this pathway here... well only one way to find out. He pressed the minor pressure point between the third and fourth ribs, infusing his ki through a nearby pathway. To his "ki vision" the flow suddenly changed, his own powerful ki freight trained down the now straightened pathway into the monestrous mass of corruption. Almost immediately the domino effect rippled through her system. The change in direction and pressure in one flow rippling outward to effect other flows. Even the mass of cancer ki had shifted withe the force of his own ki's impact. Kasumi's ki paths twitched in response to his simple experiment. Ranma was both elated and horrified. This was going to be even more complex than he thought. Every little action he took was going to have to watched and measured. Anything he did might conceivably backfire and make things worse, but at the same time, the area his infused ki had touched was healthier. Not by much, but enough to justify his theory. He was going to have to proceed very cautiously and very delicately, but he knew he could do it. He turned to Kasumi's face to tell her the good news, only to find she had fallen asleep. A glance at the alarm clock told a surprised Ranma that he had been in the room for more than half and hour. He smiled at the sleeping angel before him. A sudden attack of self consciousness left him red faced and having touched a beautiful girl for so long and he barely managed to pull her shirt back down and pull the covers up. The pigtailed martial artist picked up the untouched tray of dinner and left the room is confident smirk back in place. Yes, he could do this. Ranma Saotome didn't lose.

Over the next few weeks Ranma became increasingly busy. Every morning before school and every evening after school let out he would check on Kasumi and press a few points and infuse a little more of his ki. The more he worked, the better he began to understand how her body and the cancerous parasite within it would react to his ministrations. On the downside, the cancer was spreading fast, further weakening the Tendo daughter day by day. Soon he started returning to the dojo and lunch times as well. And after three weeks of effort he finally stalled the growth of the malignant thing. But Kasumi was not improving. In fact she was still decaying. Flesh seemed to be shrinking of her frame. She was withering away, and the martial arts prodigy could not understand why. Finally it came to him, her body couldn't stand the stress. She was the battlefield where he and the cancer fought, and thought he was winning the battles, the war was proving to be too stressful on her. The longer the battle raged, the worse she would get.

He started spending every spare moment with her, but even then knew that at the rate he was going, he wouldn't win in time. By then Kasumi was practically catatonic. Finally he made his decision. No more school, no more rest, no more breaks, he would stay with Kasumi until it ended. Much to the dismay of the rest of the family, he barricaded himself in Kasumi's room, and set to work. He began manipulating her pressure points, infusing his ki directly and indirectly, slowly increasing his pace. He began to make moves to counter the ripple effects as opposed to merely waiting them out as before. His pace increased yet again as he strained to fight the evil presence inside her. Days passed, but time had no meaning, his aching body had no meaning. He didn't even notice when he had sweated enough to activate his curse. All Ranma cared about was beating the fast approaching deadline. He flooded her with his ki, calling upon his incredible reserves like never before to heal the pale and suffering you woman in front of him. His hands were now moving at amaguriken speeds, touching points, infusing ki re-aligning paths and bolstering recovering areas. His mind was running in full combat mode on a level never before seen, analyzing, anticipating, improvising and adapting. Totally concentrated on the task at hand.

CRASH! Ranma couldn't even spare the concentration to look as Akane broke open the door with a yell of "Ranma! Doctor Tofu is coming back! Daddy just got off the phone with him. He'll be here soon. Now get out of my sister's room you pervert!" She froze on shock as she saw a gaunt and haggard looking Ranma-chan leaning over an equally emaciated Kasumi. Even worse, the pervert was touching her sisters uncovered abdomen. She screamed "RANMA NO HENTAI" and brought the mallet around for a blow that would sent in into the stratosphere. The mallet connected with the sickening crack of breaking ribs. Ranma rocked with the blow, but didn't move. She screamed in inarticulate rage and brought the mallet back up to give him the beating of his life.

Ranma, for his part, didn't say a word. As the blows came down all he could do was take them, and shunt the pain away the same as he shunted away all the aches of his feverish vigil. He had no ki to spare to buffer himself, none to use to reinforce is injured areas. All he could do was ride out the blows and pray she ran out of gas before he did. Ranma had the cancer on the ropes now. It was in full retreat. In initial infected area had shrunk down to the size of a golf ball, and even now Ranma continued to pour on the ki, his incredible vitality run to the redline as he strove to finish his task.

Then disaster struck in the form of Akane's mallet in a sweeping blow that struck both of his blurring hands. Their own great velocity added to the mallets force creating a blow that shattered his fingers. The sudden caseation of his ministrations snapped his mind out of the dedicated fog that shielded him.

She was ranting now, actually frothing at the mouth and she screamed. "RANMA..." Smash! "HOW DARE..." Crack! "YOU TOUCH..." Crunch! "MY SISTER!" Crackle! "I SWEAR..." Pow! "I'LL BEAT..." Whack! "YOU TO DEATH, YOU PERVERT!" His concentration now broken, Ranma was flung into a bookshelf. His mind began going into shock as the exertions of the past week and the recent beating all caught up with him at once. Akane advanced upon him with the fire of insane fanaticism raging in her eyes. All his benumbed mind could grasp was how much like the Kunos she looked right now; Too crazy to see the anything but what she wanted to see.

By now, her shouts had attracted the rest of the household including the freshly arrived Doctor Tofu, who stood frozen in the doorway as they watched her continue to beat the fallen Ranma.

"Akane! That's enough!" Yelled Nabiki who had seen here sister's berserker rages before, but never like this. Her shout distracted the furious kitchen destroyer long enough for Dr. Tofu to rush forward and deliver a pressure point touch that dropped the girl bonelessly to the floor.

"What in the world is.." Doctor Tofu began, but was cut off by a weak and quiet voice that still somehow seem to fill the whole room.

"Oh my."


	2. Chapter 2

Legacy, a fanfiction by Overbore

Legal stuff: I do not own Ranma ½, nor do I own any rights to the characters, places or plotlines therein. Please be kind and do not sue, I am a poor college student and have no money anyway.

Chapter 2

The scene was one of shock at the Tendo Dojo, as the family had just rushed in to see one of the most violent beatings in the history of Nerima, which, considering the usual chaos that surrounded the district, was really saying something.

Ranma Saotome, the victim of said beating, currently lay in a crumpled heap on one side of the room. His abuser, one Akane Tendo, was felled nearby, the victim of pressure point induced unconsciousness. But what drew everyone attention was recent outburst that had come from the occupant of the room's bed.

"Oh my."

These two softly spoken words froze the room.

Kasumi Tendo, the most well liked and beloved citizen of Nerima and recent cancer victim, lay upon the bed where she had lain for the last week, near catatonic. During all that time, Ranma had been sequestered with her, desperately attempting to spare her the same fate that had taken her mother.

"Sis! Your Awake! Are you OK?" Nabiki broke the spell and rushed to her bedridden sister's side. Showing emotion rarely seen in the ice queen of Nerima, Nabiki threw her arms around her elder sister and began to cry. "I was so worried!" the mercenary Tendo's mask had begun to crack when Ranma disappeared into Kasumi's room and locked the door. The worry had only increased as day after day went by with no word, not even if her sister was still alive. Now Her long pent up emotions burst through the mental dam, flooding Nabiki with a mixture worry, relief, and joy.

"There, there, hush, don't cry," Kasumi comforted weakly. "I feel very weak, but the pain is gone. It's alright."

Doctor Tofu had moved from the from the now sleeping Akane and began to gently examine Kasumi.

"Amaging." he breathed. Small spots speckled Kasumi's abdomen, each the size of a fingertip. Upon closer examination, he realized they all corresponded to pressure points and ki channels. It looked as though they had all been pressed may times with great rapidity.

"Doctor, is my girl all right? Can she be saved?" Soun pleaded, tears running down is face.

"I'm not quite sure, but I think she might have been saved already," he answered in an incredulous tone.

"Did you hear that, Tendo! The Boy did it!"Genma exulted, completely forgetting the fact that the boy in question was lying in a broken heap in the corner. "Your Daughter is healed and now the Schools will be joined at last!"

"She's really healed?" asked a emotional Nabiki.

"It seems that way," responded Tofu, still gently examining his patient.

"Naht ye'," slurred a voice from the corner. "Naht finish'. Still workin'." Everyone turned to see the previously disregarded Ranma struggling to rise. He looked horrible, like some tortured soul dragged from hell. His face was nearly unrecognizable, one eye swollen shut, bruised, battered, and with blood flowing freely from several places. His were hands pulped, fingers twisted at clearly unnatural angles, and his breathing rasped in and out with difficulty. The fact that he was in female form only made the damage seem more horrible. Of course that didn't stop the fathers from immediately exploding in ire.

"What's this boy? Not finished? You've had a week. Are you breaking you promise? Oh why have the Gods cursed me with such weak and dishonorable son?" Genma lamented.

"You swore you would heal my sweet angel," Soun immediately agreed. "If she's not fully healed, then hurry up and finish, boy! You gave your word!"

"Daddy..." Kasumi began weakly, "Ranma-kun is hurt..."

"Bah!" Genma Disagreed. "The Boy will be fine. Now Ranma, hold true to your word of honor and finish healing Soun's eldest."

"Sir," began the doctor, but he was interrupted.

"S' alright. I promis'd." Ranma began laboriously hauling himself to his feet. "Ranma Saotome nev'r breaks his word." blood was now dribbling from the corner of his mouth as he staggered over to the bed.

"Ranma..." Nabiki trailed off. At the same time Tofu reached over to support the battered teen.

Ranma ignored the both of them as he concentrated on his task. To his ki sight the cancer remained. An ugly, malignant little ball of evil the size of an American penny that would only grow and spread again if given the chance. It was his enemy, a nemesis that could not be left alive. But he had no way left to fight it, his smashed hands couldn't manipulated Kasumi's ki flows. There must be a way, he thought. A way to smash that monstrosity, a way to demolish that little glowing target in his minds eye. His mind began to run with an idea. A target. That's exactly what it was, and what did he do in any fight when he couldn't use his fist to strike a blow. A grim smile began to surface on his beaten face. Now he knew what to do and he began to gather the power, every scrap of ki he had left. Yes, Ranma Saotome don't lose.

Doctor Tofu, who had been debating wether or not to but the boy-turned-girl to sleep with another pressure point, suddenly stiffened as he felt Ranma's ki spike. The pigtailed neo-girl shrugged him off and held her broken hands out in front of her about two feet apart. Almost immediately a ball of ki manifested in the air between them, but unlike Ranma's normal blue ki attack, this one was pure, shining white.

"_Moko Takabisha revised: Tiger's Healing Burst_!" He shouted, and launched the ki sphere straight at Kasumi's mid section, then collapsed. To everyone's surprise, the ki ball didn't detonate on contact, but rather phased right into the flesh the female Tendo, filling her body her body with its light. She gasped and stiffened her body suddenly glowing with blinding light, causing everyone to shield their eyes.

In a flash it was over. The light disappeared and Kasumi's body returned to it's normal hue. Everyone rushed over to the young woman, staring with awe and the result's of Ranma's blast: a restored Kasumi Tendo. Her skin glowed with health. her frame, previously wasted and emaciated now returned to it's previously beautiful shape. Her eyes practically shined as she sat up, feeling no pain, no weakness. It was as if she had never been sick at all.

"Oh my! Ranma, this is amazing! What ever did you do?" Kasumi asked with wonder, staring at her hands and arms.

When she received no answer, she turned and look over only to see the crumpled form the her redheaded savior lying on the ground.

"Ranma must have worn himself out with that last burst," Tofu declared. "He'll probably be out awhile." He reached down to pick up the diminutive redhead. "We'd better but him to bed..." he trailed off as he touched the martial artist, then stiffened in shock. "Ranma!" he cried. Dropping do his knees, desperately hoping what he felt was not the truth, grabbing the fallen form and holding his ear to her chest.

There was no heartbeat.

Ranma Saotome, the world's premier martial artist, was dead.

Author's notes: kind of a short chapter, but that's the way it goes. Still more to come, though. Reviews and feedback would be appreciated. Just remember, every time you send a flame, god hurt a kitten. You don't want to hurt the kittens, do you?


	3. Chapter 3

Legacy, a fanfiction by Overbore

Legal stuff: I do not own Ranma ½, nor do I own any rights to the characters, places or plotlines therein. Please be kind and do not sue, I am a poor college student and have no money anyway.

To **James W**: sorry about the spelling, but I have a crappy spellchecker, and I tend to overlook spelling mistakes in my own work when I re-read because I know what I want it to look like, so that what I believe it is.

Authors notes:

Akane: while I am not an Akane fan, I do not believe she is a psychopath either. However, for the purposes of this fic, I needed her violent tendencies. Remember, she is emotionally distraught because of her sister dying of cancer, not to mention that fact that she has never been good at dealing with negative emotions (cannon fact). Violence is her bailiwick. When she is confused she falls back on it, especially when dealing with Ranma (who I think she secretly fears due to his incredible prowess and her issues with males. When you fear something you tend to want to strike out against it). Plus I needed someone to do the deed, and she seem the natural choice.

Ranma's Power: no, I do not thinks Ranma is god-like. There are may stronger beings out there, Ryoga, Herb, and Saffron being a few. His power comes from his adaptability, which is precisely how I am trying to portray it. He kiboshed together a technique to help Kasumi, but it wasn't perfect, as evidenced by the strain it out on Kasumi's body and the sheer labor intensiveness of it. And even Herb would (in my opinion) be severely weakened by weeks of worry stress and a week of no sleep while in a state of intense concentration and burning through his ki the entire time.

Crossovers: this chapter will contain some crossovers. I did because I felt it would fit and I wanted someone not normally associated with the NWC to share some revelations. If you don't like it, that's just too darn bad.

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The entire district of Nerima was in mourning. It's center, it's heart and soul, was gone. Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, Defeater of Herb, Orochi's bane, Taro basher, Happosai deflector, slayer of Saffron, had passed on.

It had been a week since the death of the pigtailed martial artist, and the Tendo Dojo was still a place of shock.

They had refused to believe it at first. Genma had claimed that the boy was only playing, that he would awake soon, after a frantic few minutes of screaming at his son to wake, he had broken down in tears. He now spent his time with his equally distraught wife, trying to summon the strength to be strong for her sake. Soun was benumbed, caught between the joy of his daughter's recovery and the death of Ranma, he walked around in a daze. Nabiki seemed to be unaffected and was apparently conducting business as usual, but her eyes, red and puffy with private weeping, betrayed the ice queen. Akane had broken down completely. When she had recovered from the unconsciousness, and learned of her fiance's fate she collapsed into a storm of weeping and self-recrimination. She blamed herself for everything, wallowing in depression and guilt. It had taken Kasumi to bring the girl out of her nearly suicidal bleakness.

Kasumi had gone to her sister's room after Akane had refused to come down for dinner for the third day in a row. She found her sister lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, oblivious to the rest of the world.

"Akane, please, talk to me." Kasumi walk over to her sister's side. "Akane, please, I'm you sister. Please let me in. I want to help"

"Why?" Akane asked, her voice flat and dull. "I killed him, Kasumi. It's all my fault. I came in and saw him and lost control and I killed him."

"No," Kasumi disagreed. "You didn't kill him, Akane. It wasn't your fault."

Akane turned to look at her sister. "How can you say that!" heat had re-entered her voice. "I beat him to death! I should be locked up! I should just die! It's all my fault!" she was weeping again now, hot tears burning down her cheeks. "I should..."

"No," Kasumi interrupted sadly. "It's not your fault, Akane. It's mine."

"What!" the youngest Tendo cried. "Sis, how can you say that! I hit him and hit him and I..."

"No." Kasumi cut her off firmly. " It was my fault Akane. I killed Ranma. If I hadn't been so weak, if I hadn't cried to him, he never would have made that promise." The elder Tendo had begun to cry as well now. "I talked to doctor Tofu. It wasn't the blows that killed him, Akane; he burned himself out. Trying to save me. He used himself up, poured all of his life force into me. I... I... I'm so weak and unworthy and I never wanted him to be hurt and he killed himself for me." Both girls were weeping openly now and Akane, seeing the pain on her sister's face instinctively reached out and embraced her sister. For an endless moment they stayed that way, crying freely, clutching each other for support

"I miss him so much, Kasumi." Akane sobbed. "I keep expecting to see him hanging outside my window or coming in and calling me a tomboy, and it hurts so much!" she buried her face in Kasumi's shoulder as the tears continued to flow.

Kasumi slowly stroked her sister's hair as she soothed her. "I know Akane. It hurts me too. One day he just showed up and was suddenly the center of our lives, and now he's just gone. And now I feel so empty inside." slowly, ever so slowly, the storm of tears passed. The two Tendos finally broke their embrace and looked each other in the face.

"What do we do now, Kasumi?" Akane asked in a timid voice.

"We go on living." Kasumi said firmly. "I know it's what Ranma would have wanted."

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"The funeral of Ranma Saotome."

Those words still sounded strange in the ears of anyone that knew the pigtailed martial artist. In the weeks since his death quite a few surprising facts had emerged about the pigtailed one. Nabiki was hard pressed to decided which was the most shocking: that for the past year he had actually been working as a special deputy for the Tokyo Police battling youth crime, or that Ranma had become a personal friend to the Sailor Senshi after helping them with a youma invasion, or that had received a commendation from the Emperor himself for thwarting an assassination attempt on the Imperial heirs. Probably the latter, Nabiki decided.

The Tendo's had learned of this shocking development when one of the many letters of condolences had arrived bearing the imperial seal. It revealed that a team of assassins had intended to launch armor piercing rockets from a rooftop locations at the imperial limo. Ranma, who had been roof hopping nearby, stumbled across one of the men, and disabled him after seing the weapon. He had then rushed through the area, seeking and disabling all the killers as fast as he could. Only one man had managed to fire off his rocket before hurricane Ranma descended upon him, and the projectile was vaporized by a Moko Takabish before it could hit. The pigtailed martial artist had declined any offer of reward and bounded away, leaving a flabbergasted security contingent and a grateful government in his wake.

Now a huge contingent of people had gathered to pay their final respects to Ranma Saotome. It was a partially cloudy day, in spite of the weather channel predictions, as if the sky could decide if it was if it was happy of sad. Nabiki looked around see many familiar faces in the crowd, but just as many new ones. Herb was there, regal and haughty in his resplendent armor. Kiima and little Saffron, the heads of the delegation from Phoenix Mountain, paying respects to a fallen adversary. Ryoga had actually managed to show up. The normally brusque lost boy had been literally glowing with depression all day, but still maintained enough control to keep from firing off Shi Shi Hokodans all over the place. Both the Kuno siblings had shown up, but had been summarily kicked out after ranting about the death of "the foul sorcerer"/ "my Ranma-sama." Ukyo was visibly leaning on Konatsu, as though without his support she would just keel over. The amazons had declined to come, with Shampoo too overcome with grief to attend, and Mousse, who never really liked Ranma anyway, choosing to stay with her. In the receiving line, the Sailor Senshi's bright uniforms stood out sharply from the unrelieved black of nearly everyone else. Even the strange old lady with the ladle who had splashed Ranma so many times was there.

The coffin was still painful to look at for the Tendo's and Saotome's, despite it's beautiful appearance. It was made golden colored wood, with a red dragon spiraling around it. On top, a small framed memorial photograph greeted the many grievers who filed past. The photo was an inspired piece created by one of the computer club members who had photoshopped together a picture of Ranma in both his forms, the taller male form with it's arm around the shoulder of the female, both faces smiling(1).

Kasumi stood near the casket with the rest of her family, greeting the many people who file past. She almost couldn't believe how many people seemed to know Ranma. A young man with short brown hair leading a bevy of brightly haired women approached.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss." he bowed.

"I thank you," she returned. "How did you know Ranma, sir..." she trailed off

"Tenchi Misaki, miss Tendo." he answered. "I met Ranma one day when he literally fell through the roof of our family shrine. Needless to say, we were very curious. He claimed to have been malleted all the way from Nerima. We invited him to dinner, and during the meal Ryoko accidently knocked a pitcher of water on him and poof! Suddenly a girl is sitting at the table. We were all shocked. Then he explained the curse and told us a little more about his life. I admit, it was nice to hear that someone else had girl problems as complicated as mine. And Wushuu was very interested in the curse. After dinner I asked if he wanted to spar a bit. And every since he has come around once a month or so for a meal and a fight. Though I think Wushuu scared him off from coming around more."

"Hey!" remarked a shorter, crab-haired redhead behind Tenchi. "What did I do?"

"Well you did tend to get that gleam in you eye whenever you saw the curse activate. And we all know what that means,"a cyan haired woman answered.

"Can I help it if I saw such a wonder research subject. Besides, that curse was so unscientific. It was simply begging to be examined. And who better than myself, the universe's number one scientific genius to do it." The rest of the group sweatdropped.

Meanwhile, Genma and Nodoka were speaking to diverse group of three women. One had tanned skin and exotic white hair, another was short with pale skin and black hair. The Third reminded him a lot of Kasumi, with long straight brown hair. All three girls had unusual facial tattoos.

"I am truly sorry for you in the time of loss." the brunette said. "My name is Belldandy, Goddess category one, class one, unlimited. These are my sisters, the Goddesses Urd and Skuld."

"Goddesses!" Genma hissed in shock. It was not every day that divinity simply walk up and introduced itself, not even in Nerima.

"Yes," Belldandy agreed.

"And you knew my son?" Nodoka asked in awe.

"Not as such, no." the Goddess shook her hear. "I am here because Ranma was special, even to us in heaven."

"Special? How do you mean."

"Surely you must have noticed it!" the one called Urd answered. "The Kid was a damn chaos magnet. Don't tell me you weren't a little curious as to why all the weird stuff seemed to be coming out of the woodwork around him."

"Indeed," Belldandy agreed. "You see chaos is a natural force, like may others, but it is one of the most powerful. When the level of potential chaos becomes too high, and safety release is needed. A soul is chosen by the Yggradsil computer to attract potential chaos, in order to lower the overall level of potential. Your son was chosen at birth to be one of these unfortunate souls. I understand that it is manifestly unfair to those who are burdened with this destiny, but without them, the pent up chaotic energy could cause any number of massive disasters while expending itself. The chaotic souls protect the rest of humanity by suffering in their stead. And it is suffering. Most souls chosen, even those of adults, rarely last more that five years before dying as a result of the situations they draw to them. Your son lasted 18 years, which is nothing short of miraculous.

Nodoka was aghast. "Our son, a magnet of chaos from his birth? My son suffering for the sake of all others? Oh, how manly!" she exclaimed, but she was crying was she did so. The gentle Belldandy reached out and softly embraced the crying woman.

Skuld continued from where her sister left off. "Much of your behavior over the past 18 years was influenced by the chaos swirling around your son. The Sepukku, pledge, the Nekoken, the multiple engagements, the trip to china and the curses, even the overwhelming passion to unite the schools; all influenced actions you never would have done otherwise."

Genma was conflicted "But, you mean... I mean... But would I have..." he slumped into the chair behind him, a dizzied look in his eyes.

Belldandy broke off her hug of Nodoka and bowed again. "I am sorry. I know this is conflicting and confusing. I just felt you deserved to know the truth. Your son used up so much potential chaos, especially in the last two years, that it will be at least twenty years before we need another chaos magnet. He saved a great many people from suffering simply by existing, and still felt compelled to protect the weak and unfortunate. Your son was a truly remarkable person. I thank you for your time."

The three Goddesses departed leaving a very confused, yet somehow comforted pair behind.

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As the guests finished arriving, the service began to start in earnest. Many people stood to speak on behalf of the fallen warrior. Miss Hinako, the local Precinct Captain, even Happosai spoke a few words. But one of the most touching was the appearance of Akane Tendo.

"Ranma and I, well, we never really got along." she said, her voice thick with emotion and her heart in her eyes. "We argued a lot, and we were always getting into fights. But he just always seemed so invincible. Like nothing could stop him. I couldn't imagine a future where he wasn't there, filling the horizon. And now that he's gone, it feels so empty. I just... I want to apologize to him, tell him I'm sorry for hitting him and all the yelling and everything else. Ranma, I hope where ever you are, there are lots of challenging fighters to battle, and lots of food on the table when your done, and people who appreciate you. People who appreciate you better than I did." she paused, sniffled. " Goodbye Ranma. Please be happy. Where ever you are." She paused only long enough to place a white lily among the many on top of the coffin before rushing over to her father and breaking down weeping. The Tendo Patriarch, already awash in tears, held tightly to his youngest, supporting her in her grief.

As her sister wept, the final speaker, Kasumi Tendo, took the stand. She was dry-eyed and firm, somehow a pillar of strength. "All of us here knew Ranma," she began. "Some of us knew him personally, others only met him in passing. I know that he saved that lives of many gathered her today. The sad fact is that most of us never truly appreciated Ranma for all he had done for us. Every day he went out and sweated and bled for people he never knew. 'A Martial Artist defends the weak," that was his motto. But we were content to let him do the defending. And now he's gone, and the world is a poorer place for it. I ask the people gathered here toady to please, please try to be true to the example Ranma set for all of us. He would not have wanted us to lose ourselves in grief, or slide back into apathy. He would have wanted us to grow, to become better people. I know that's what he would have wanted. Ranma where ever you are, know that the time you spent with us was very inspiring to me. Please be at peace knowing that we will never forget you, or the example you showed us. And where every you are, please do try to keep your foot out of you mouth." she finished this impassioned speech with a small smile, and her last comment brought a small laugh to many in the crowd. Kasumi then turned away from the crowd to place her lily on the coffin. Only then, when no one else could see her face, did she let a single tear escape from her eye. "Good bye, Ranma." she whispered as the coffin began to descend. "I'll miss you."

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Author's comments: kind of an emotional chapter, huh. Only one or two more to go. Thanks for the feedback so far and don't stop now. To tell the truth this is developing a lot differently that how I imagined it. But I thinks it's better that way. The first few versions had a lot more character bashing. And what does everyone think of the idea that the chaos around Ranma was divinely inspired as a safety measure? Or that many of his parent's and fiance's actions were shaped by it? It would make a more plausible explanation that some of this stuff happening on its own.

(1) to see the picture mentioned, go to the wikipedia entry for Ranma Saotome.


	4. Chapter 4

Legacy, a fanfiction by Overbore

Legal stuff: I do not own Ranma ½, nor do I own any rights to the characters, places or plotlines therein. Please be kind and do not sue, I am a poor college student and have no money anyway.

**To Tama Saga**: Thanks for the well thought out review.

About Chaos: I have had some questions regarding how the whole chaos relief thing effects the characters. Basically, it takes the already existing characters flaws and magnifies them. For example, Genma was greedy before his son was born, but never would have considered selling his child for a bowl of rice, two fish and some pickles. The same with Akane. She always had temper problems, but with Ranma around, they were magnified in ways that would cause more chaotic things to happen. Also, everyone around Ranma was influenced to ignore, to a certain extent, these behaviors and their effects. Think of the Neko-ken. Who in their right mind could hear of something like that happening to someone they know, and not be absolutely horrified by it? But everyone in the Ranma-verse just kind of shrugs it off. In fact Akane goes as far as throwing cats at Ranma several times throughout the series. Now that he is gone, these magnified traits have receded.

About the Funeral: As to the way people are acting at the funeral, remember everyone thought Ranma was invincible. Everyone, his rivals, his fiances, the parents, have all shown, time and again, that they believe that Ranma could survive anything (much to their annoyance in some cases). And when he dies, their entire world view is shattered. Couple this with the lack of chaos magnified behaviors, and suddenly everyone is acting very out of character.

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It had been more than two months since the funeral, and life in Nerima had settled into a new routine. Gone were the formerly common battle cries of incredible martial artists. Nobody was leaping across the rooftops. Property damage was at an all time low. Several construction companies had went bankrupt. Ucchan's was closed while the owner sorted out her life. The Nekohanten remained open, though nobody knew why. The Tendo Dojo was a place of relative peace and tranquility once more. Or at least it seemed so from the outside.

Kasumi Tendo, model homemaker, expert chef, and all around saint, was feeling a little off. It wasn't that she was feeling bad, far from it, but just that she felt...different. She supposed it could be chalked up to a new, more tranquil home life. Things had defiantly changed in the Tendo household. Akane, the living volcano, was actually attending therapy. She had made the decision to get her destructive emotions under control once and for all, and so far had been doing fairly well. She had also started attending a new school, on her therapist's orders, to get her away from the borderline sexual harassment that was the cause of so many of her problems.

Nabiki Tendo, little-miss-blackmail herself, had gone out and gotten a regular job. She worked part time for a local law firm as an intern, and showed excellent promise. Ironically, she was making almost as much now, as during her betting pool and blackmail days.

Soun Tendo was, for the first time in years, taking his responsibilities as a city council member seriously. While he still had a tendency to spout tears at the drop of a hat, he was trying to act like an adult for the first time in a long time. It was anyone's guess if it would stick or not, but for the time being, it was a nice change. Unfortunately, he had also come to the decide that he was still simply not able to teach martial arts again for the time being. There were discussions at the dinner table now as to whether or not to rent out the dojo to other masters who needed the space.

As for Genma Saotome, he had moved back in with his wife immediately following the funeral. He and Nodoka often came to visit, but rarely stayed for more than a few hours. Kasumi assumed it was because of painful memories. The two seemed to be patching up their fractured relationship; the grief over their fallen son forcing the two of them to rely on each other like never before. They were also discussing having another child, but it was still up in the air.

But Kasumi still felt off. Over the last two months she had found herself thinking and acting in new and unexpected ways. She felt...confident. Alive. Ready to take on the world. It was so strange. Maybe it was because her cooking and cleaning duties had been reduced without the Saotomes there. She felt so energetic these days. She went out more, spent time with friends or went shopping, even allowed herself luxuries like going to movies or eating out. Yet somehow it was still not right.

Kasumi sighed. She had been home all day in attempt to sort out where these strange feelings were coming from. But all she had accomplished was to feel more restless. She wandered the property, thinking of times past that seemed so long ago, but were on a few short months gone. Here was were Ranma would always sit at dinner. There's the dent in the wall Ranma made from the last mallet flight over the koi pond. Lost in memories she entered the dojo. She remember watching him so many times as he practiced his katas. To her eyes it seemed like he had become something incredible and unearthly when he became lost in the martial arts he loved. As she thought back, she realized how very much Ranma had seemed to be the very embodiment of The Art; smooth and flowing, with frightening speed and strength contained in infinite grace and control. She remember her secret wish to be able to move like that, to do the things he did. She blushed at the thought. Her, be like Ranma? It would never happen; but still, she wished.

She walked out into the middle of the dojo floor, guided by an impulse she didn't understand. '_Now how did that first stance go again_,' she thought as she attempted to perform one of the simpler katas from her own brief training. '_Let's see, hands like this, and feet like this, and step out this way..._' her thought were interrupted as her dress constrained her leg movements and she overbalanced and tumbled to the floor.

"Oh my." she said softly as she recovered her feet and her wits from the fall. She felt incredibly embarrassed, even though no one had seen her little misadventure. She sighed again.. Off course she had fallen. She was just so silly for having tried it in the first place.

'_Still_,' she thought, '_one more time won't hurt. It's not like anyone saw me or anything. But if I want to try again, I need a different outfit. Perhaps one of Akane's gis? No. That would never fit. The same with Father's. But there is one thing that might work..._' her thoughts trailed off as she blushed even harder.

Still blushing she left the dojo, re-entered the house and went up to her room. Once there, she opened her dresser and reached all the way to the back of the drawer, to grabbing the things she had hidden. What she came out with was a red Chinese silk shirt, and a pair of black kung fu pants. They had been in the wash when Genma had moved out, taking the rest of his son's possessions with him. Kasumi had found them and immediately hidden them, a secret treasure she could cling to when the hidden tears became too much. Now she scrutinized them, judging to see if they would fit her reckless plan.

After several minutes of hesitation, she slowly and reluctantly disrobed and began to don the outfit. She was moderately surprised by how well the clothes fit. It seemed so strange to see herself in the mirror, her face above Ranma's clothes; her brown ponytail where the braided pigtail had always been. She felt a sudden urge to forget the whole thing; to but back the silks, and forget the dojo and push this silliness out of her mind. She stood there for an endless moment, paralyzed by indecision.

'_Ranma_.'

The thought came like a bolt from the blue, shattering her hesitation. Ranma had never hesitated, never let himself be stopped, never showed any fear except of cats and feminine wrath. '_And as long as I hold on to his memory_,' she decided. '_I have a little piece of Ranma here with me.'_

Back down to the dojo she went, and began again the kata she had tried before. Slowly with several pauses and restarts, she performed the kata her father had taught her so long ago. She smiled as she finished, remembering happy times with Momma and Pappa and little 'Biki and baby 'Kane so long ago.

She took a stance for a second kata, and again slowly, but with increasing smoothness, moved through the forms. And when she finished, she went right on the next one, and the next one after that. She found it was easier if she stopped trying to remember what the next move was, and simply let her body flow through the old patterns. Kasumi began moving through more complex forms, her speed increasing as she emptied herself to the martial arts, losing herself to the purity of the moves and the awareness of the Now. She was so lost in the Art that she didn't even hear her sister Akane come home from school. She moved faster, letting the forms consume her mind, bereft of thought, lost in that beautiful and deadly dance.

"Hey sis, I'll be in the dojo if you... What the...? RANMA!"

The screamed words brought kasumi out of herself with a crash, shocking her so much that she barely caught herself in the proper pose instead of falling on her face. "What? Ranma? Where?" she looked around, trying to clear the martial arts fog from her brain. What she saw was her youngest sister gaping at her with a mouth open wide enough to make a Chardin proud before falling over backward with all the grace of a sack of potatoes.

"Oh, my!"

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Akane was in shock. There was no other way to describe it. She had gone to the dojo with the intention of breaking some bricks and seen a red and black clothed blur moving through the dojo. The indistinct form had been leaping, twirling and literally bouncing of the Dojo walls in a display not seen since... "RANMA!"

But when her shout had stopped the blurring form of her dead fiancé, her mind was even further blown by the revelation that it was not Ranma performing those impossible moves, but her eldest sister! At this point Akane's Cognizance Core overloaded, and she fell back in a dead faint.

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Darkness swirled, lightened, and then lifted. Akane cracked open her eyes to see the concerned face of the Tendo Matriarch staring down at her.

"Hey, Kasumi," she babbled sleepily. "I had the weirdest dream where I went into the dojo after school and Ranma was their practicing his katas and then when I yelled he stopped only it turns out you were Ranma instead of Ranma and then everything kind of spun and tipped over then it got really dark."

"I'm afraid it wasn't quite a dream, Akane."Her sister responded with a light blush. "I was simply practicing some old katas in the dojo when you came in and yelled, then you fainted."

"But, but, that can't be right!" Akane yelled jerking upright. She found that she had been laying in the doorway between the dojo and the porch. Her world view was shaking uncontrollably. "I couldn't have been you! I mean, you were doing all those crazy flips and leaps and stuff that even I can't do, and I'm a martial artist!" She was even more disturbed by the fact that her sister was indeed wearing Ranma's clothes, and who naturally she seemed to wear them.

"What?" said her sister sounding genuinely surprised. "But I was only doing some katas father showed me when I was little. I couldn't have possibly been performing one of Ranma-kun's katas? Could I?" She wondered aloud and began to concentrate on her time in the dojo, striving to remember what she had done. She began to remember running through all the katas her father had shown her as a little girl and moving into some of Ranma's more basic Anything Goes katas. She had continued, flowing through the difficult form as though she had work them for years, moving on to increasingly more advanced katas as her mind had drifted. "Oh My!"

"Sis?" Akane queried.

"I did perform Ranma-kun's moves! But how! What does this mean?"

"It means," spoke a creaky old voice, "that son-in-law still has the ability to surprise me, even from beyond the grave."

"Elder Khol Lon," Kasumi spoke respectfully as the girls turned to find the ancient amazon elder perched on the property wall, balanced on her staff. The gnarled elder pogo-ed over to the two Tendos. "What do you mean when you say that Ranma can still surprise you?"

"I mean precisely what I said, child." Cologne answered. "After son-in-law's unfortunate end, I remained here in Japan because I felt some irregularity in your aura, child," she said to Kasumi. "At first it thought it was merely a side effect of your miraculous recovery. But as the days passed and it remained, even grew more pronounced, I began to wonder if perhaps it was something more. Perhaps the cancer, not quite gone, or perhaps something else. Then today I felt the ki of son-in-law once more and I rushed here only to hear you two talking about your remarkable performance, Kasumi, and I think I have all the answers to the mystery now."

"So what's going on!" Akane demanded, her emotion controlling exercises forgotten in her confusion.

"Please, elder, tell us. What is happening to me? Why do I feel this way? How can I do these things?" Kasumi looked as though she didn't know whether to be angry or star crying. She finally settled into a state of determination.

"The answer is simple, child. Son-in-laws spent days pouring his ki into you. His lifeforce. His very essence. He took it all and channeled it into you as you lay sick. Your own ki was weakened and frail. His stronger lifeforce took the place of you own. As you healed, your ki began to adapt to his ki. Or perhaps the other way around, knowing son-in-law's adaptability. Then came his last act. I theorize that his final burst contained all that he was, every part of him brought together and flooded into your recovering body in an act of desperation and self sacrifice."

"You mean Ranma-kun is inside me?" Kasumi breathed. "Is his soul inside me as well? Could he... come back?"

"Not as such, no." The diminutive amazon answered. "No, son-in-law's soul is truly lost to us, but inside you is a remembrance of all that he was. A legacy, if you will. But this is a serious business. His attitudes and habits will begin manifesting among your own. Physical abilities too, as your body adapts to the ki within it. In fact, I believe some have manifested already; for example..." Before anyone could react, her staff whipped around and rather painfully clipped Kasumi in the back of the head.

"What'id you do that for, you stupid Old Ghoul!" Kasumi clapped her hands over her mouth as soon as the very un-Kasumi-ish yell passed her lips. She also struggled with a brief flash of unexpected temper.

"I trust you understand now, child?" Cologne asked.

Kasumi nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak.

"You mean she is going to start acting like that pervert?" Akane goggled.

"Silence, child!" Cologne barked with some heat. "You know better than that now. Do not disrespect the fallen."

"I... I... I'm sorry." she gushed. "I was just so surprised and I wasn't thinking and I didn't mean it."

'It's OK, Akane," her sister comforted. "I understand how shocking this is. And old habits are hard to break. It's fine." She turned to the amazon. "Elder, is this permanent? Will Ranma's personality eclipse my own? Will I stop being _Me_?"

"I seriously doubt the you of before will cease to exist. And we both know son-in-law enough to know that even as a legacy, he would never take advantage of the weak. As for permanence? Well... I believe it is, unless you have it purged from you."

"Purged?" kasumi looked baffled

"Yes, child. If you wish it, I can purge the legacy of son-in-law from your ki and return it to it's former state. But know this, once done, it cannot be undone, and there is only a limited window in which to work before the taint in you ki becomes permanent. You have perhaps three more months before you and son-in-law's legacy become indivisibly one."

"I... I will need time to think, elder," Kasumi said, a little flustered by all the day's strange events.

"You have time, Child. But know this, whatever you decide, from now on consider yourself an ally of the Amazon tribe of Joketsuzoku, and an honorary member of the tribe. I will take my leave. You know where to find me when the time comes."

"Thank you, Elder," Kasumi said bowing respectfully. "Thank you so very much."

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**Epilogue.**

Nerima, Tokyo.

The Tendo Dojo.

"Sis! I'm home." Akane Tendo called her sibling as she walked in the front door. "Thanks for the lunch you made today. Kendo club practices have been running so late lately that I don't seem to have time for anything anymore."

"That's fine, Akane, " her eldest sister, Kasumi Tendo, called from the kitchen where she was busy preparing dinner. "You are team captain after all. It's only natural for you to be busy with nationals coming up."

Akane giggled. "I still can't believe the look on Kuno's face when we beat Furinkan high for the tournament slot! Priceless!"

"Well just try not to work too hard or you might just..." whatever Kasumi was going to say, it was cut off as a loud crashing sound filled the air, followed by a loud cry.

"Fools! Weaklings! Is there no one who can stand against the prowess of a master of Martial Arts Building Demolition! I challenge the champion of this dojo for it's sign!"

Both girls rushed to the dojo, only to see hugely muscled man in a hardhat standing in front of a very large hole in the wall that he had apparently created as an entrance.

"Oh my!"

"Oh, no! Not another weirdo! Oh well. At least Nabiki will have fun suing this one for property damage."

The man appeared to notice them. "Bah! Weakling women! If there is no one here to defend the pitiful dojo, I'll tear it to pieces!"

The two Tendos shared a look for a moment before one of them spoke.

"Very well, I accept your challenge!"

The man surveyed his opponent: around five foot, ten, hair done up in a braided ponytail, wearing a violet Chinese shirt and black silk pants. "Pitiful woman! You stand no match against the overwhelming power of Martial Arts Building Demolition! Prepare to be crushed!"

His opponent assumed a casual stance. "We'll see about that, but before we begin, there is something you should know."

"And what is that?" he roared.

The young woman, a homemaker, chef, martial artist, and demi-chaos attractor by association, gave an arrogant smirk.

"Kasumi Tendo doesn't lose."

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Authors stuff: whew! My first multipart fic is over! Originally this was only supposed to be a single part fic, but it just kind of grew out of control. Either that or I was just too lazy to write it all at once and post it in a single block. Eh, whatever.

Thanks to all of you who submitted reviews, especially Tama Saga, Paul W, Koalaknight, Jerry Unipeg, and Rose 1948.

Special thanks to all the fanfiction authors that inspired me to start writing my own. Ozzallos, Kizmet, Lathis, Trugeta, Usagi-Hasano, and MadHat886.

Peace out.


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